Aquaventure Water Park

The slide everyone talks about is the Leap of Faith: a 60-foot, almost vertical drop from the top of the Mayan Temple that shoots you through a clear acrylic tube running under a lagoon full of fish. Its twin, the Challenger, lets two people race side by side and read their speeds off a clock at the bottom. Across the water stands the 120-foot Power Tower, where The Surge drops tubes through a cavern into white-water rapids.

Tying it together is the Rapids River, a mile-long loop with wave surges and drops of up to 7 feet. There are more than 20 pools, some built for small children, plus the Mayan Temple pool with a zero-depth entry and the resort's long beaches. The headline slides need riders to be at least 48 inches tall.

Atlantis hotel guests get in free. Everyone else needs an Atlantis Day Pass, and the park takes most of a day. The slides open later and close earlier in winter (around 5pm from November to February) than in summer, and private cabanas can be booked by the pool for shade.